


It's You and Me Against The World

by Center_of_the_Galaxy



Category: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: But They Both Learn How To Take Care Of Each Other, Mentor Peter B. Parker, Miles Learns How To Be Spider-Man, Multi, Newbie Miles Morales, Noir Learns to Have Fun, Peni is a genius, Peter And Mary Jane Work On Their Marriage Also, Peter B. Parker Puts His Life Back Together, Peter Learns How To Take Care of a Kid, Protective Peter B. Parker, Sorry Not Sorry, This Is Just An Excuse To Write Peter and Miles Friendship Fluff, dimension hopping
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-10-01 04:58:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17237828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Center_of_the_Galaxy/pseuds/Center_of_the_Galaxy
Summary: Okay, let's catch you up to speed.I’m Peter B. Parker and as of three weeks ago, I became the one and only Spider-Man . . . in this dimension. I pulled myself out of my pit of emotional despair, got myself to the gym—okay, maybe haven’t quite done that one yet, but I’m definitely cutting down on the pizza . . . starting tomorrow—and long story short, I reconnected with my estranged wife, Mary Jane.Things are finally looking up . . . until Miles crashes my reunion dinner with MJ.





	1. Fall

_“When I say it's you I like, I'm talking about that part of you that knows that life is far more than anything you can ever see or hear or touch. That deep part of you that allows you to stand for those things without which humankind cannot survive. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed.”_

_― Fred Rogers_

* * *

 

Okay, let’s catch you up to speed.

I’m Peter B. Parker and as of three weeks ago, I became the one and only Spider-Man . . . in this dimension. I pulled myself out of my pit of emotional despair, got myself to the gym—okay, maybe haven’t quite done that one yet, but I’m definitely cutting down on the pizza . . . starting tomorrow—and long story short, I reconnected with my estranged wife, Mary Jane. Things aren’t exactly picture perfect with us yet, but she hasn’t slammed any doors whenever I come to visit her—our—house so, I’m counting that as an improvement.

Look, if you had asked me three weeks ago if I thought my life would be get better, I would’ve glared and snapped at you sarcastically. Now though, ‘cause of Miles and the others, I feel like I’ve got the old Spider-Man mojo back. Sure, I’m still saving the city on a regular basis, but I feel more upbeat now, like I can do this again.

“Peter?” Mary Jane glances up from her salad with a hesitant expression and I recognize it immediately, one that spells either immediate doom or foretells joyful tidings.

“Yeah?” I take a bite of one of the fries, wincing a bit at the lackluster taste. I missed the old burger joint and being able to try it again in Miles’ dimension just seemed to ruin me for all burger joints.

“What are we doing exactly?”

I blink, then swallow nervously.

The funny thing with relationships; time always slows down when you’re in love. Those good moments? Like the seconds before you finally work up the nerve to kiss the girl you’ve had a crush on for months? Total slow motion. But it works in reverse too. Before Mary Jane asked for a divorce, time came to standstill as she cried in our living room and I felt trapped in that moment.

And now, time is stopping once again.

A thousand responses run through in my mind—lovable retorts, to sarcastic half-truths, to outright lies—but I wait for her to go on. The thing with Mary Jane is that once she makes up her mind there’s no changing it. She’s stubborn like that. May used to call it feisty with a fond smile on her lips.

“I mean, us, Peter,” She twirls her fork on her plate, biting her lower lip, “Are we . . . do you . . .?”

I reach out and grab her hand within my own.

God, I’ve missed her. Not just the feel of her in my arms, but her laugh and her smiles and the way her eyes would light up whenever we would get coupons for half-off ice cream sundaes at the Mom and Pop ice cream shop down the street from our old apartment in Queens.

“I love you, MJ.” And you know, as simple as that might be, it’s the truth. It’s always been her. In this dimension and in Miles’ apparently.

“But love isn’t always enough, Peter,” She chides me quietly, “I still want certain things out of life—”

“Kids?” I blurt out, “I love kids. Really. Super great. I mean, not their sticky hands, but you know, in general, they’re cool.”

Her eyes widen, “You . . . want kids?”

“Yes.”

“You,” She repeats again, astonished, “Want kids. With me.”

“As many as you want.”

Another instance when time slows down—when your spider-sense goes off. Sure, doesn’t apply to everyone, but it’s good to know and it applies in this case. You know when I said I was used to weird things happening to me? I usually am, but seeing a weird black portal opening up in the ceiling of a random burger joint is pretty freaky even for me.

And when a suited-up Miles falls out of the portal and crashes onto our table, sending my fries flying and Mary Jane’s salad scattering off the table, I find myself just nodding.

Miles sits up, blinking. He turns his head and meets my gaze. Even through the suit, I can tell he’s shocked and he shakily waves at me.

“Peter,” Mary Jane whispers, and I can see what she’s worried about, the numerous sets of eyes on us, “Do you know this guy?”

“Miles,” I introduce softly, “Mary Jane. Mary Jane, Miles.”

“Uh, hi.” Miles whispers sheepishly.

“Might wanna get off the table now, kiddo.”

“Oh! Yeah, just let me, whoa!” Miles rolls off the table, earning some snickers from the crowd and I glare, feeling a flash of anger within me.

“Come on,” I place a hand on his shoulder, helping him up, “Let’s get somewhere a bit more private.”

“Peter.” Mary Jane raises an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation, but she knows that we can’t talk about this here. Not with witnesses. Sure, it’s New York and no one is too fazed by a weird kid in a weird Spider-suit, but we can’t take too many chances.

“Later.” I promise her, pressing a quick kiss to her temple.

“Later.” She echoes softly.

“C’mon, kid,” I guide Miles out of the diner, “Let’s talk.”

Miles nods.

* * *

 

“So,” I watch as Miles rolls up the sleeves of my much too big shirt, “Fisk at it again?”

The kid hasn’t glitched yet, so I’m glad to see that he’s in one piece, but if he came through a portal, then others could too. And the last thing I want—or need—is that crazy Doc Ock lady on a rampage here.

Miles shakes his head and grimaces, “Look, Peter, one second I was swinging and then the next thing you know—”

“—you end up crashing my reunion dinner with my wife.” I complete softly.

Miles winces, “I am so sorry, I really didn’t mean to—”

I smile, despite myself. What can I say? I have a soft spot for the kid and not because he’s a Spider-Man too. No, there’s something about Miles. He just brings out the best in you, makes you to be stronger than you are. He’s earnest, not hardened by life’s disappointments. He’s the kind of kid that you want to protect, to help him keep his innocence in life, just for a little bit longer.

“Miles, it’s fine,” I promise him, “But you really have no idea how you got here?”

The teenager sighs, sinking to my bedroom floor. He holds his head in his hands and that’s when I see the bruises on his arms. Circles, dark and ugly—kid hasn’t learned the tried and true concealer trick—seem to encompass every inch of exposed skin.

I frown, processing, “Miles, are you hurt?”

“I’m good.”

“The bruises say otherwise.”

Miles gapes and quickly rolls back down his sleeves, “It’s nothing. Just a perk of being Spider-Man, right?”

He’s trying to make light of the situation, but the thought of someone putting their hands on Miles and trying to kill him—

Oh, shit.

I’m in too deep here. The kid isn’t just a kid anymore. He’s my kid.

“Things have been pretty chaotic,” Miles admits, “I mean, I put one bad guy away and five more pop up the next day!”

And my kid is on the verge of a breakdown. The stress is getting to him and hey, it got to me too. Learning how to juggle the stress of school, then work with saving New York almost broke me. It destroyed my marriage. It took Miles—his optimism, his willingness to learn, his eagerness—to save me from the brink.

Without him, I’d be dead in his dimension.

“Hey,” I kneel down to meet his gaze, placing a hand on his shoulder, “You’re gonna be fine, Miles.”

 And that’s when he bursts into tears.

Look, I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not good with tears. When someone cries, I clam up, feeling incredibly awkward. With Mary Jane, I can handle it, but with others, I find myself pretty much fleeing from the situation.

But this is Miles and he’s crying because he’s a kid and he’s got these crazy powers and he’s alone and far from his home.

So, step two: help the kid get back.

But first, step one.

I wrap my arms around him, holding him, feeling his sobs shake the frame of my body.

“I got you, kid.”

And I mean it.


	2. On the Job Training

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hi there! I had no idea so many people would be so thrilled with this story. Thanks so much for all the kind words and the support. I hope you all enjoy the story!

 

_“Sentiment makes fools of us all.”  
―  **Traci Chee**_

 

Pop quiz: what do you with a crying teenager stranded in a universe that is not his own?

Answer: you feed him copious amounts of sugar.

Which is probably how we ended up at the ice cream parlor halfway across the city. I knew the owner—Enrique, really great guy—and all he had to do was take one look at Miles’ downcast face before he placed an order for a “Heart Break Cure-All”, a monstrosity of ice cream containing five scoops, a mountain of whip cream drowning in hot fudge and way, way too many sprinkles. It’s the closest thing to a comfort food for a Spider-Man as I can think of.

Miles just picks at it with his spoon, that sad puppy dog look still etched on his face.

“Miles,” He meets my gaze, just for a moment, “We’ll figure this out.”

“I know.” But his head sinks down and he grimaces.

“Hey,” I insist sharply, “We will. We could get in touch with Peni or something.”

Thank God for Peni Parker. The extremely intelligent programmer had been working on a communicator to allow us to speak to each other across the dimensions, but so far, we’d gotten about a few words in and then just static. Travelling would take longer, but Peni was on that too.

“Your communicator work?” Miles raises an eyebrow, a typical teenager move and code for, _I really am smarter than you, dumbass._

“No, but—”

Miles just groans, dramatically flopping over onto the table. I roll my eyes and snag his sundae. If the kid isn’t going to eat it, then I’m not going to let it go to waste. I take a quick bite of the hot fudge and practically beam. So good!

“Peter, what if—?”

“Let’s not go down what-if lane, okay?” I interrupt, trying to show him that I, as the adult, will figure this out and get him home safe and sound.

“Peter,” Miles narrows his gaze at me, using his patented not-quite-a-glare-but-pretty-darn-close on me, “Can you be serious for like one second?”

“Who? Me? I’m the very definition of serious.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Totally serious. All the time serious.”

“Sure.”

“Like so serious that I make serious people go, ‘wow, he’s so serious!’ and then they—”

And then I feel it in the back of my mind, that pinprick of danger approaching and I can see from Miles’ change in demeanor, going from frustrated teen to sitting up in attention, that he senses it too.

“I told you to give me all the money and you said no!” A rough voice growls, “So now, I’m gonna wreck this city until you give it to me!”

Rhino comes into view then and before I know it, he’s charging down the street, levelling the cars in front of him and sending people sprinting in the opposite direction in fear. Okay, so maybe I was bad at getting Miles to talk about his feelings. Fine. But there is one perk to being Spider-Man—there’s always some bad guy to beat up when you’re having a bad day.

“How about some on the job training?”

For the first time since he got here, Miles grins, “You got it.”

I leave an extra $10 for Enrique—such a shame to let such a great sundae go to waste—and then motion for Miles to follow me. Time to see how quick the kid can get suited up.

Then it’s time to kick some butt.

* * *

 

No matter how long I have the powers, web-slinging still feels amazing.

Flying through the air, the city of New York below me, scurrying around like ants, wind blowing past me—it never gets old. I’ve gotten good at it, easily maneuvering my way through the streets.

Miles, on the other hand, is still getting used to it. Granted, the kid has really improved in the three weeks since he’s had the powers, but he’s still a bit shaky in his dismount. It’s the smaller things he needs to work on now. Things that took me years to get down, but now, maybe with my help, he could have an easier time.

“So, who is this guy?”

We’re following Rhino’s rampage below. The guy really can just run and run when he wants. Dude never gets tired. I just wait for him to crash into something that slows him down enough to give me an opening.

“Rhino?” I repeat, “Guy got experimented on by a shady corporation, ends up with an armor-like skin and then decides he likes robbing banks more than he does working.”

“Oh,” Miles mutters and it’s like I can see the wheels turning in his brain as he takes mental notes, “I’ve never heard of him before.”

“No Rhino in your dimension?” I question and Miles nods, “Lucky guy then. Rhino is annoying. Not much of a talker and hates my jokes.”

There’s a loud boom below and I grin as Rhino collides with the back of a moving van, rolling with the cargo. It’s my opening and a chance to help Miles learn the ropes.

“All right, we’re up!”

Miles follows me as we swing down to the street. We both land on the sidewalk and Rhino spies me first, grimacing.

“Spider-Man,” He hisses, “Don’t you ever take a hike?”

“Funny. I was going to say the same thing to you.”

Rhino glares and then his gaze shifts over to Miles. He chuckles, “Brought a friend, huh? Didn’t know you were so lazy these days.”

“Ouch,” I fake my heart breaking, “Do me a favor, leave the witty retorts to the experts, okay?”

And that’s enough to provoke a response.

Rhino easily tears a huge piece of metal from the truck and hurls it at Miles. For a second, my heart falls into my stomach. What if the kid isn’t ready for this? Kingpin could’ve been a fluke—no, it wasn’t, it hadn’t been but still! If Miles got hurt, I would lose it.

“Wanna play tag?” Miles chuckles as he easily webs the debris and tosses it back to Rhino, sending him flying back.

“Good one, kid!”

“So, plan?”

“Honestly, just wear him out. Guy gets tired eventually.”

“I’m standing right here!” Rhino roars, sprinting toward us, and both Miles and I barely have time to roll away. He keeps up his onslaught of throwing debris and honestly, I’m wincing by how much Jonah is going to tear me up in the _Bugle_ over this. I can already picture the headline, _Spider Menance Destorys Downtown!_

“Dude, just give up!” Miles shouts, landing a few punches on Rhino. I follow up with some hits of my own and before I know it, we’ve got Rhino wrapped up, webbed to the street as the police pull up.

“Good work!” I congratulate him.

Miles offers me his fist and I stare at it blankly for a few seconds longer than I should admit before I realize he wants me to bump it. Okay, I’m older, all right? But I’m not that old. I’m not!

“What now?” Miles questions me as we watch the police read Rhino his rights.

“We head back to my place.”

Sure, I still have no idea how Miles got here or how we’re gonna get him home, but we’ll make it work. The kid is counting on me and I won’t let him down. I’m not that guy anymore—the one who didn’t care about others because my own pain was too great.

No matter what it takes, I will help Miles.

             

              

             


	3. No Place Like Home

_“A superhero is just an ordinary person who has found a better way to mask their human frailties.”  
―  **Stewart Stafford**_

 

My apartment is still in a semi-permanent state of chaos. My bed is unmade and clothes are strewn all over the floor. Open and empty pizza boxes clutter the kitchen table. I’ll admit, I’m a slob. Cleaning has never been one of my pastimes and after leaving MJ, I hadn’t had the energy for it. I haven’t moved back in with MJ yet, though discussions were ongoing. And really, when you think about it, how do you restart a marriage really? How can you take something that broke and try to glue it back together? It takes time and I want to do this right. I want to be that guy for her—the kind of guy that you can count on, the kind of guy that can help her raise semi-normal kids.

I want to be perfect for her. And right now, I’m not. But I’m working on it.

“Wow,” Miles huffs out a breath, tossing his mask aside on the counter as we enter through my open window, “And I thought my room was bad.”

“Shut up,” I tell him, but there’s no heat in my tone. Kid probably has a point. Still, doesn’t mean I have to admit it, “I’ve been busy.”

“I’m sure.” Miles has that shit-eating grin on his face again, the one that all teenager perfect once they turn 13. He takes a seat on the couch and fishes out his clothes that I let him borrow. He puts them on over his suit—it saves time that way; crime doesn’t stop just because you need to protect your secret identity—and then exhales slowly.

“You good?” I pull on a pair of mostly clean sweatpants and toss a black top over my suit.

“Fine,” Miles doesn’t lie well. His voice hitches and he stutters just a little bit. You probably wouldn’t notice if you didn’t know him, but I do and it’s clear as day. I raise my eyebrows and wait, Miles sighs, “Okay, just trying not to freak out here. I mean, we still have no idea how I got here. I haven’t glitched and there’s been no earthquakes here.”

“Which means that a device probably didn’t bring you here,” I run a hand through my hair, trying to narrow down our options, “Tell me again: what exactly happened.” There has to be a little detail that we’re missing, some sort of clue that didn’t seem important that actually is.

There’s a soft knock at the door. Then, a hesitant, “Peter?”

When I told Mary Jane the truth about who I was, we made a promise that we would have no secrets between us. A clean slate, she had called, and a way to keep problems from growing. It had worked for most of our marriage, but there was one secret I hadn’t shared with her.

She had no idea I’d travelled to a different dimension. I wasn’t even sure why I would tell her about it. I mean, I had considered it case closed, but now, with Miles here, I guess the dimension hopping wasn’t as over as I would’ve liked. Which leaves me with a choice. Lie about who Miles is, or admit everything.

“Get it.” Miles whispers softly and I nod, moving to the door.

Even now, all these years later, Mary Jane still takes my breath away. She has this natural glow around her, this light that seems to shine from within her. She’s beautiful, yeah, but it’s more than that. She’s a good person. When May was sick, she was by my side, putting her career on hold to help me, all without me even asking her. That’s the kind of person she is—caring to a fault.

“Hey, MJ.”

She fidgets, “Can I come in?”

“Sure thing.” I move to let her in, then close the door behind her. This is the first time she’s been in my apartment. When I moved out, I’d given her the address sure, but only for her to forward my mail. Now, seeing the utter state of decay it’s in, I’m regretting opening the door.

“Oh, hello,” Mary Jane smiles softly at Miles, “It’s Miles, right?”

Miles sits up straighter, “Uh, yeah, that’s me.”

“Were you with Peter? On the news, I mean, I saw another Spider-Man—”

“It was me,” Miles admits, “But, I’m, uh, not from around here.”

“I figured when you fell out of a portal at the restaurant,” She retorts and Miles chuckles, “So,” She turns to me, hands on her hips, determined, “What are we dealing with here?”

This . . . this is what I’ve really missed. Unconditional support. Feeling like someone had my back. After May died, I felt alone, a true orphan. MJ had tried to help fill the void but I was an idiot and pushed her way, let the silence harden like a way between us. The truth is, I didn’t try to fix my marriage. I’d been a coward, drowning in grief.

I was afraid to lose her too.

Rule #1: Never fall in love if you’re a superhero. Why? ‘Cause nine times out of ten you’ll lose your loved one. Maybe to a villain, maybe not. But you’ll still have to keep going afterwards because the city isn’t going to just stay safe while you grieve.

I had broken that rule the moment I saw MJ. But the fear is still there. It will always be there. And if the way I saw Miles and Gwen looking at each other was any indication, I would need to be telling the kid about the risks of loving while wearing a mask sooner rather than later.

“Peter?” Mary Jane places a hand on my cheek and I find myself leaning into her touch. It’s been too long. God, how had I even breathed without this woman by my side. It should’ve been impossible.

“Alternate dimensions.” I finally reply.

MJ blinks a few times, wide-eyed, echoing, “Alternate dimensions?”

“Yeah,” I answer, “Miles over there?” Miles waves her sheepishly, “He’s a Spider-Man in an alternate dimension. There are others too. But, uh, the reason I know this is because I was there, in his dimension, I mean—”

“You were in an alternate dimension?” Mary Jane interrupts, “Are you okay? There aren’t any lasting effects, are there? I mean, on your body!” Her hands feel my arms, her eyes carefully checking for any injuries.

“MJ, I’m fine. Miles got me back,” Then, softer, I add, “He helped me with a lot of things actually.”

There’s a thing you’ll be able to do when you’ve met your soulmate—silent conversations. Don’t ask me how it works, but basically, you’ll be able to convey something to your lover without words. It’s not just a superhero thing, trust me. May and Ben used to do it all the time, it drove me nuts! But now, I’m grateful because I just need to lock eyes with MJ and she knows that the reason I finally grew up is sitting across from us.

“Miles.”

“Yeah, Ms. Watson? Or is it Parker? Not that it matters—”

And before I know it, MJ is hugging Miles. Miles stiffens at the unexpected contact but relaxes into it.

“Thank you.” MJ whispers and I see Miles nod his head in return as they let go.

I take a seat at the kitchen table, clearing off the pizza boxes (which I will definitely clean up, you know later) and then meet Miles’ gaze.

“So, Miles, again, what happened?”

Miles rolls his eyes but continues, “Dude, like I said, I was swinging—”

“Where?” MJ interjects. At Miles raised eyebrow, she adds, “Any detail can help.”

“Back home. I’d just finished patrol. Nothing major. Stopped a few robberies,” Miles continues, “And then boom, I’m falling onto your table.”

I mull this over. Kid sounds like he got swept up into it just like I did. But without a trigger how could we possibly send him home? At least he wasn’t in pain. I couldn’t handle it if Miles got hurt. I panicked for 48 hours straight after leaving him to fight Kingpin before Peni finally got in touch with me.

Peni, that reminds me—

I pull out the small communicator that Peni had managed to send over. I press the red button and speak into it, “Peni? It’s Peter B. Can you hear me?”

Static.

“That’s what I got too,” Miles points out, pouting almost, “But I’ll keep trying.”

“We’re missing something,” Mary Jane muses, twisting a strand of her hair around her finger. It’s what she does whenever she’s concentrating, a nervous tic of hers, “Miles, you didn’t travel to a different dimension last time, right?”

“No,” Miles mumbles, “But there was some freaky stuff with Kingpin—”

“What freaky stuff?”

I remember the buildings from other dimensions popping up—the random trucks and subway cars moving about on invisible roads. I had gotten out before it got too crazy, but Miles, he had to have been in there a long time with the machine running.

“Wait,” I come to stand next to the kid, “Miles, what were you thinking about when you were coming home?”

“Nothing much,” Miles shrugs, “Homework. What my mom was making for dinner. I wondered how you were doing.”

Bingo.

“Miles, I think you travelled here.”

Miles eyes widen and his mouth drops open, “So, what? I can travel to alternate dimensions now? How does that even work? And how do I get home?”

I chuckle, “Time to click your heels three times and say, ‘there’s no place like home’.”

I’m rewarded by glare for my help. Still, Miles closes his eyes, scrunching up his brows as he thinks deeply. I wait for a portal to pop open and suck the kid in. But there’s nothing. After ten minutes, Miles opens his eyes and sighs, “I’m still here.”

Nothing is ever that easy, I suppose.


	4. Back In Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the kind words. You all are so sweet!

_“When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching—they are your family.”  
― Jim Butcher_

* * *

 

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Miles glances down at the sheer drop of the skyscraper’s roof. He’s used to web-slinging now sure, but I can still see that split second of hesitation before he launches his next web. The kid is a rookie and he’s a kid. When it comes down to it, he’s scared. He’s scared to fall, scared to hurt and scared to lose those he cares about.

But, ever since becoming Spider-Man, all three of those things have happened to him. That’s something I can’t really prepare him for, I realize grimly. Taking the hits and getting back up—that’s just what you have to do if you want to survive as Spider-Man. You have to have a reason to keep fighting.

Miles will find his reason. Just not here. He needs to go back home. His parents must be losing their freakin’ minds and not to mention the schoolwork that’s gotta be piling up on his desk—

“Peter?” Miles tugs on my sleeve, his eyes wide and tinged with worry. He’s far from home with no clear way on how to get back. Hell, that would terrify me.

“Sure,” I shrug, “We just gotta recreate what you were doing. Test out a hypothesis.”

Miles furrows his brows, skeptical. Typical teenager.

“Look,” I press on, “You got a better lead?”

“We could go get some lunch with MJ?”

“You’re stalling.”

Miles sighs raggedly, pulling his mask on, “Let’s do this.”

And then we’re jumping off the building, soaring. It’s moments like these that make me glad to be Spider-Man. Let me tell you, when you’re free-falling through the air, it really puts things into perspective. I’ve done some of my best thinking during those few seconds of free fall.

But all too soon it’s over and we’re swinging through the skies, patrolling. Time seems to drag as we do loops around Brooklyn and Manhattan. Miles remains silent, focused on keeping his swinging momentum constant. Kid has improved a lot from the last time I saw him.

“Anything?”

“Nah, man,” Miles hisses, annoyance and general teenage angst coloring every word, “How long are we gonna do this?”

“You got somewhere else to be?” I tease.

That earns a chuckle from Miles, “Guess not. Hey, do you wonder what—?”

But he doesn’t get to finish that sentence because before I know it, a portal opens up in front of us.

“It’s sucking me in!” Miles screams and I reach for him, but he disappears into the portal.

“Shit!” I curse, but my mind is already made up. I take a deep breath, “Here goes nothing.”

And then I launch myself into the portal.

* * *

 

The fact that it’s raining is my first clue. The black and white is the other. Rain falls steadily, cold wind blowing.

“Miles?” The kid rubs his head, wincing a bit. I kneel by him, checking his eyes for dilated pupils, a clear sign of a head injury, “You good?”

“Fine,” Miles dismisses softly, “So, this obviously isn’t my home.”

“It opened when you were saying something to me. What was it?”

Miles opens his mouth to speak, but we’re interrupted by a pair of goons in trench coats emerging from a dark ally.

“Well, well, well, what do we got here, Jones?” One gangster calls to another.

“Dunno, Matthews, looks like we got a couple of bugs.” The second gangster grins sinisterly, smiling twistedly.

“And what do we do with bugs?”

“Look, guys, we really don’t have to do this—” I try to placate them, but it’s clear the goons have no desire to back down.

“—we squash them!” Both of the gangster shout, pulling out guns. Gunfire rains down on us and Miles and I barely manage to get out of the way.

“Hey!” Miles growls, shooting a web at one of the guns, “Didn’t anyone tell you not to go around hiding in dark alleys?” With ease, Miles tugs the gun away, but his partner tosses him a handgun. Together, we weave and dodge until we get behind both of the goons.

But, a blur of black and grey descends from the sky and knocks both of the gangsters out simultaneously.

“Hey, fellas,” Noir waves at us—well, I wouldn’t really call it wave, but he does something with his hand to acknowledge our presence—“Fancy meeting you two here.”

“Dude!” Miles exclaims, “Where did you come from?”

I have to agree with Miles here. I look up at the pitch black sky and try to spy a rooftop, but it’s almost like the buildings disappear into the sky. Like the rooftops and the sky can’t coexist at the same time, almost like an art thing, what did MJ call it again? Forced perspective?

“Around,” Noir mutters cryptically, “So, you fellas taking out trigger men now?”

I blink at him.

“What?” I mumble and Noir points to the gangsters at our feet.

“We weren’t planning on it.” Miles mutters.

“The world ending again?” Noir questions sharply. Guy is so serious. Makes me wonder if the Rubik’s cube was his first time doing something only for fun.

“Probably not,” I shrug, “But, uh, Miles may have developed teleportation powers that we don’t quite understand now we’re here.”

“With no way home.” The kid points out, not unhelpfully, but it doesn’t exactly raise my spirits to hear it confirmed.

“So, this is probably a trip for biscuits then,” Noir deduces, “C’mon, I’ll get you guys a city drink.”

Noir takes off, vanishing into the dark, almost like he’s a part of it.

Miles turns to me, “Do you understand anything that he’s saying?”

“No,” I admit, “But hey, could be worse. We could’ve ended up in a dimension with dinosaurs.”

“Dude, that would’ve been cool!”

“Not when they tried to eat us.”

“But, c’mon, dinosaurs! Oh, we could’ve seen a T-Rex. Peter, do you think there is a dimension with dinosaurs in it?”

The kid’s enthusiasm manages to bring a smile to my lips. Still, given how his powers are new and we have no idea how they’re triggered, it’s best to keep the kid focused on the here and now.

Or, well, the past, I suppose. Because here, it’s forever the 30’s.

“C’mon, Miles, let’s find Noir.”

I try not to let the worry show on my face. We’re stranded in another dimension with no way home. Again.

But hey, at least no one is dying. Though, given the number of thugs, that might only be a matter of time.

Still, Miles is counting on me. We’ll figure this out.

Together.


	5. Family

_“You must remember, family is often born of blood, but it doesn't depend on blood. Nor is it exclusive of friendship. Family members can be your best friends, you know. And best friends, whether or not they are related to you, can be your family.”  
―  **Trenton Lee Stewart**_

 

I never realized just how much I took color for granted until I take a step into the monochrome, shady bar that Noir seemed to call home. Judging by the way the man sidles up to the bar and the casual nod the bartender shoots him, this isn’t Noir’s first visit here. Still, the bartender’s eyes fly open as he takes in our colorful suits—the only pops of color in this universe—and remarks, “Jesus.”

Noir smirks—the first time I’ve even seen him crack a smile really—and replies, “They’re a long way from home, Jimmy.”

Jimmy just shrugs and I take a seat next to Noir, motioning Miles to do so. Within seconds, egg creams are placed before us. Miles pokes his straw at it but I greedily take a sip. One thing I’ve learned since travelling dimensions, food seems to taste better. Maybe  that’s because my body isn’t used to the food, but hey, I’ll take it.

“So, fellas,” Noir starts casually, “The world ending again?”

I huff out a laugh, “When is it not?”

“But it’s not right now,” Miles quickly interjects, shooting me one of those patented teenage death glares that the kids are so good at nowadays, “To be honest, we’re pretty confused—”

“Miles had dimension hopping powers that he has no way of controlling,” I motion to Jimmy to get me another egg cream, “And I’m just along for the ride.” I nod my thanks at Jimmy as a new drink is placed before me, “Hey, why do they call these egg creams anyway? There’s no egg or cream in it. Kind of misleading—”

“Sounds like the kid is in a sticky situation.” Noir remarks, taking a sip of his drink.

“I’m right here,” Miles groans, but then his eyes widen and I follow his gaze. On the counter sits Noir’s communicator, just haphazardly tossed aside. Miles snatches it up, “Peni gave you one of these too?”

Noir shrugs, “Those new-fangled things ain’t for me.”

Still, Miles tinkers at it and I see his brain go to work. Kid is so damn smart—almost as smart as yours truly—but within seconds he has the communicator powered up.

“If ours didn’t work, what makes you think his will?” Honestly, being stuck in Noir’s universe isn’t so bad—gangsters notwithstanding. I could sit around drinking egg creams for the foreseeable future. Granted, I’ve got to get back to MJ and I don’t think taking off will look very good when I say I want to work on our relationship.

“Got it,” Miles mutters, pressing the button, “Peni?”

Static.

Miles’ face falls. I put a hand on the kid’s shoulders.

“Look, Miles, we’ll figure this out. I wouldn’t—”

_“Miles?”_

I blink, wide-eyed.

“Did that thing,” Noir points to the device, “Just talk?”

Miles beams, “Peni? Peni, can you hear me?”

It’s faint and there’s still static but Peni’s voice comes in, energetically chirping, _“Hi Miles! What are you doing in Noir’s universe?”_

I take the communicator, “Peni, it’s Peter. Long story short, but we think Miles has some sort of dimension hopping power. Any way you could get us home?”

_“I can’t get you home, but I can help.”_

Miles furrows his brow, “What does that—?”

But I understand when the wormhole appears.

_“Come see me in my lab!”_

I turn to Noir, “You coming too?”

“Of course,” Noir finishes off his egg cream, “We’re pretty much family, right? And family sticks by each other.”

He says it so-matter-of-factly. Sure, we all had spider powers that connected us. We all had personal tragedies that set us all on the path of becoming a hero, but a family? I had never really considered anyone aside from MJ and May my family. After losing Harry and Gwen, I just felt too scared to branch out and meet others. After all, the more you give your heart to others, the more chances your heart will be broken.

After MJ and I broke up, I thought my heart had finally shattered for good. I thought I would live out the rest of my miserable life alone until a villain got lucky and I would go down fighting the good fight. I resigned myself to a sad existence.

And then I met Miles and life changed.

Now, here I am, agreeing with a 30’s detective. Miles, Noir, Peni, Gwen, even that crazy cartoon pig—they’re my family. They’re not perfect, but neither am I.

“Yeah,” I agree, “We do.”

And then we’re all hopping through the portal once more.

 


	6. Shock to the System

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this up. I've been battling illness and also started a new job. Hopefully, I will be able to post more frequently from now on.

_“You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world, but a world lives in you.”_

_― William Paul Young_

* * *

            Peni beams as soon as we emerge in her lab. Glowing lights twinkle around us as various monitors beep and chirp. Her trusted spider rests on her shoulder and she waves energetically.

            “Hi, guys!” Peni bounds up to Miles, throwing her arms around the timid teenager. She then turns her attention to Noir and I’m surprised to see the gruff detective actually crack a smile. Then again, I’ve noticed that Peni has that effect on people, her infectious smile rubbing off on others. She then turns her gaze to me and wraps her arms around me, “Good to see you, Peter.”

            I grin, “You too, Peni.”

            Her arms slip away and she claps her hands together, spinning around, energy levels almost as high as a five year old on sugar. She beams, “Welcome to the future! Or, my future, really.”

            Miles picks up a small robot. He turns it over, eyes scanning it, trying to understand it. He smirks, “Pretty cool stuff you’ve got here.”

            Noir also poke a robot, though timidly. Maybe he’s gotten used to a Rubik’s Cube, but alas, he’s not as tech savvy as the rest of us.

            “So, Miles,” Peni chirps, “What seems to be the issue?”

            And that’s how it all comes out—how Miles found himself, for no apparent reason, jumping between dimensions with no clear way to get back. During this, Peni nods and takes copious notes. I see sympathy bloom in Noir’s eyes—I’m not the only one who cares about the kid and it’s funny, we’re all tied together by our spider-powers, but it seems bigger than that.

            We’re a family. A quirky, slightly dysfunctional family, but we care for each other. In our line of work, it’s rare to have even one person willing to stand by your side. To have a whole group? It’s a miracle, really.

            “You were in the reactor a lot longer than all of us, it’s possible that affected you.” Peni deduces, leading Miles to sit in a chair. Carefully, she hooks Miles up to a variety of machines and honestly, I don’t even recognize half of them, but hey, that’s future tech for you.

            “Like a new power?” Miles questions and I can hear the faintest bit of fear in his tone. And hey, why shouldn’t he be afraid? Kid’s whole life changed so drastically and now he’s got a new power that he can’t control? Honestly, I’m surprised that Miles hasn’t gone full-on freak out yet. I know I would’ve.

            “He’s going to be okay, though?” Noir folds his arms across his chest, his gaze hardened.

            Peni bites her lower lip, a telltale sign of nervousness, but her high-pitched voice tries to cover it with mock cheerfulness, “Let’s just do some tests! You ready, Miles?”

            Miles meets my gaze and I shoot him a quick grin. Instantly, the kid seems to relax, exhaling slowly, “Yeah, sure, what do you need?”

            Peni glances at the monitors and types a few things onto a huge console. It beeps and she frowns at it, before typing something.

            “Peni?” Miles tries again, but an alarm goes off in the lab.

            Peni types furiously, “Guys, we’ve got a situation.”

            I tense, “What is it?”

            Peni’s brow furrows, “It looks like . . . someone followed you guys through the portal.”

            Miles gapes, “What?”

            “That’s not possible,” I interject, “We were the only ones that went in—”

            “But we don’t know if the portal closed behind us,” Noir points out darkly, “Last time, a machine controlled it. This time, we don’t know how it works.”

            I go to Miles and the kid’s face is chock full of guilt and I can easily figure out what he’s thinking. I place a hand on his shoulder, “This isn’t your fault.”

            Miles gives me one of those patented teenage glares, “You don’t know that. I don’t even know how to control this! For all we know, I brought a supervillain here!”

            “Then, we’ll figure it out.” Noir states simply, his eyes twinkling.

            Peni nods as her fingers fly over the keys, “Yeah, Miles! We’re a team. We can do this!”

            I wink at the kid, “See?”

            The alarm cuts off and Peni grimaces, “I can’t tell exactly who—or what—came through, but there’s someone downtown that doesn’t belong here.”

            “How do you know?” Miles asks, detangling himself from the machine.

            “After our last adventure, I configured my alert system to notify me if people from other dimensions came through,” Peni explains softly, “But there are some kinks to work out still.”

            “Okay,” I mutter, “Let’s go check it out.” I turn to everyone, “Ready to suit up?”

            Within seconds, we’re all out, on the hunt for the mysterious traveler who doesn’t belong.

* * *

 

            The future is a mix between things I expected and things I didn’t. For example, flying cars? Totally expected that. How hard it is to web sling around these cars, totally did not expect. But as we all move through the sparkling, futuristic city, I can’t help but wonder what MJ is doing. She must have realized I’m gone now and who knows what she’s thinking. Hopefully, when I get back, I can straighten things out. Again.

            But my mind keeps wondering, what if this time, it’s over for good. What if she throws up her hands and has had enough? Could I really blame her? Dating a superhero isn’t exactly easy, let alone being married to one. Maybe she deserves someone else—someone normal and reliable.

            Still, I don’t have time to figure that out when Peni signals us to stop. We drop into a dark alleyway—those apparently are still alive and well in the future—and Peni hops out of her mech, confusion etched on her face.

            “I don’t get it,” Peni muses, “The heat signature tracks here.”

            “So, they got away?” Noir questions.

            Miles surveys the area and then stops suddenly. I feel it too, a shiver up the back of my spine. The spider-sense kicking in, warning us all that we’re not alone here.

            “Come out!” Miles shouts, “We know you’re there.”

            A dark chuckle echoes in the alleyway. We all tense, ready for a fight, but there’s a nagging feeling in the back of my mind, like I’m on the verge of remembering something important.

            “Well, if you insist.” And I know that voice, a voice I thought I would never hear again, and my stomach drops.

            And out of the shadows, seemingly appearing from nowhere, steps Harry Osborn.

            He meets my gaze and waves, “Hey, Peter. Long time no see.”

            And for the first time in a long time, I’m speechless. Harry died, years ago. Or at least, I thought he did. I found his body in the rubble, MJ and I went to his funeral. No, Harry Osborn is dead.

            But he’s standing before me now. And I know this isn’t some alternate dimension version of him. Harry and I had grown up together, we’d been thick as thieves and I’d know him anywhere. When he died—

            “What’s wrong, Peter? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Harry chuckles.

            “But . . . how?” I manage to choke out, emotion clogging my throat.

            “How, what?” Harry replies, “How did I survive? How did I end up here?” He smirks at me, “Really, Peter, you should know by now, things aren’t always as they appear.” He glances down at his wrist watch and sighs, “As much as I’d love to continue this touching reunion, there’s someone else I need to see.” He hits the wristwatch and a portal opens up behind him.

            “Wait!” Peni shouts, but Harry’s already stepping through the portal. It closes behind him.

            I sink to my knees, the shock catching up with me. Harry—my best friend—is alive? He’s alive and he’s dimension hopping? And how long has he been alive? Why didn’t I know? What actually happened so many years ago?

            Miles kneels by my side, concern flashing in his eyes, “You okay?”

            I huff out a laugh, “Oh, yeah, sure. My best friend came back from the dead and is dimension hopping. No big deal.”

            Miles grips my shoulder, “We’ll figure this out.”

            And it’s funny, I believe him. Sure, he’s just a kid and yeah, he’s got his own issues going on, but the confidence in his tone makes me feel stronger. I’m not alone anymore. I don’t have to do this on my own.

            I have a family behind me.

            “Let’s go back to the lab,” Peni murmurs, “And then, Peter, you can tell us who that was.”

            It’s a hell of a story, but one that’s come back to haunt me. I just hope things will work out for the best.


End file.
